China's copyright watchdog pushes karaoke copyright management

BEIJING, April 9 (Xinhua) -- China's copyright watchdog has issued a statement to push forward the collective management of music copyright in the karaoke market in a bid to further boost its regulated development.

Prior to the usage of music works, karaoke operators should sign up and obtain permits from China Audio-Video Copyright Association, which grants collectively both the right to use a music piece in performances and the right to use a music piece for video-screening with due charges, said the statement jointly released by the National Copyright Administration and the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

The collective management of music copyright in the karaoke service sector should act on the principle of information transparency and organizations in charge of the collective management should remain non-profit, the statement added.